Monday, February 28, 2011

By Tatiana
Let’s face it, kids are very-very messy. And as much as we love dressing them up in cute girl outfits, we worry that beautiful – and often pricey – boutique girls clothing can get ruined in the matter of minutes. There’s not much we can do about our kids just being kids. But there are a few tricks that can help you remove unwanted stains off your baby’s clothes. Just be sure to check laundering instructions before treating the stain. If the item is dry-cleaning only, take it to the nearest dry-cleaning service as soon as possible and let them deal with the stain.

Grass. Grass stains are very difficult to remove because they are caused by the mixture of organic matter which binds very closely with the natural fibers of a garment. To remove a grass stain, first pre-treat the stain with a mixture of warm water and rubbing alcohol or water and vinegar (just not fruit vinegar). You can also pre-treat with a stain remover or a detergent that contains enzymes. Thoroughly scrub the stain, let it sit for 10-15 minutes and then wash in hot water (use the hottest temperature that is safe for the fabric) with enzyme-containing detergent and bleach, if possible.

Ketchup or Mustard. This one is also a toughy and a very common one. To get rid of a ketchup or mustard stain, first, scrub off excess ketchup/mustard with a spoon or dull knife. Then, rinse the stain thoroughly with cold water and sponge with mild detergent. You can also use a stain remover. Repeat the process of sponging and rinsing with cold water until the stain is no longer visible. For especially tough stains, try sponging with bleach, if it’s safe for the fabric.

Blood. It’s bad enough when your munchkin gets a boo-boo, especially when blood is involved. It’s even worse when, on top of that, a cute toddler or baby outfit gets ruined. First run cold water through the garment or let it soak in cold water if the stain is dry. Put a pinch of salt on the stained area, fold the fabric so that salt stays inside and rub, rub, rub. Rinse again with cold water and sponge the stain with detergent containing enzymes. If the stain still doesn’t come off easily, try pouring ammonia straight on the stain. It won’t damage most fabrics like detergent does and won’t fade the colors (unless the dye in the fabric is not permanent). Check first if ammonia is safe for your fabric.

Stay tuned! In my next post I will be talking about removing stains from Face Paint, Baby Food and Poop :).

Sunday, February 27, 2011

By Tatiana
First of all, great news! We were able to expand our spring offering of Persnickety girl clothing as well as include bigger sizes (up to 6 years). New styles are now available on www.MyLittleJules.com for pre-order and will be ready to ship at the end of March. But don't wait! Demand for Persnickety is very high and we are already selling out of some styles and sizes. This Persnickety girl outfit is personally my fav. It's very charming and your doll will look great wearing it to any special occasion as well the playground.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Flit and Flitter clothing is now up on the website and available for purchase. This sweet boutique girls clothing line combines bright colors and unique patterns with loose-fitting comfy silhouettes. Flit & Flitter founders say "We believe that special days call for special dresses and we believe that EVERY day is special!". Flit & Flitter girl clothes put a smile on our face. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

By Tatiana
Jules and I were having so much fun the other night when I was giving her a bath. And then I though of my little sister who was terrified of baths when she was a baby. It was hard for the whole family to deal with. I wish I knew then what I know now, so, I could help my parents make bath time more enjoyable for my baby sis. But I didn't. So, I'm sharing my 'wisdom' with you and hope you can put it to good use. Here it goes.

Bath time is a great way to bond with your bundle of joy. But while some babies love their baths, others can be anxious about splashing in the water or being washed. If your baby fusses through her bath time or you just want to make taking a bath more fun, try these 10 techniques that will help make bath time more enjoyable for you and you baby.

Keep your cool. Babies have an amazing ability to sense what you are feeling. If you are worried about bath time, then you baby will too. To help yourself be more relaxed, get everything you need in advance. Bring a washcloth or sponge, baby shampoo and body wash, lotion and towel. If you like to dress your baby right after her bath, you may want to grab a baby gown or some other baby clothes. When Jules was little, I used to spread a baby blanket on the bath floor. I would put Jules on the blanket to dry her up and wrap her in a towel.

Hop aboard. If your baby seems to be afraid of water, try getting in a tub with him. Skin-to-skin contact is believed to be a great way to bond with your baby. In addition, your closeness will calm him down and help him feel secure in the water. Be careful not to slip when you are getting out of the tub, however. If possible, have your partner or someone else help you out.

Sing for her. Make up fun rhymes and cheerful tunes or sign one of the popular bath time songs like Splish Splash or Rubber Ducky. Help your baby clap along. Splashing the water along with the rhythm is even more fun! You can sing songs on the way to the bath, while preparing a tub or during the bath time

Make bath time a play time. You can make bath time special by having designated bath toys that your baby enjoys playing with. For smaller babies, use rattle toys, unbreakable mirrors or squirt toys. As your baby gets older, consider getting staking cups and bowls to teach her about filling and pouring. A toddler might enjoy a squirt gun or a bath time doll that she can wash. If you are more into learning toys, you can get your babe foam letters, numbers or animals that stick to the bath tiles. Give your baby time to play and enjoy herself before and after you wash him.

Tickle her senses. Bath time is a very sensory experience – which can be overwhelming for some babies. If your baby is enjoying her bath, create more sensory experiences by letting her touch different textures, like the surface of a sponge or hair brush, or gently sprinkling water over her belly and hands.

Blow bubbles. Babies are mesmerized by bubbles. Let him watch bubbles float in the air, feel them burst against his skin or catch them as they hover over him. In the meanwhile, you can teach your baby such concepts as big and small, high and low, shiny, light and so on.

Let her give you a hand. You can float your baby’s boat by having her help you with the washing part. This will help her feel a little bit in control, keep her busy and teach her self-hygiene. Here are just a few things she can do:

Hold a washcloth over her eyes when you are washing her hair

Lean back as you pour water over her head avoiding the face

Use an extra sponge to rub her hands or belly while you are washing the rest of her body

Get creative. Does you baby like to paint? Then he probably likes to get messy too! You can make cleanup easy by letting your baby paint in the bath. There are many bath time finger paints and bath crayons that you can chose from.

Tell her a story. At young age, babies really enjoy hearing your voice. So, talk to your baby throughout her bath time. Tell her about what you see, what you are doing or will do next. Older babies might enjoy hearing a real story. You can get a few bath books and hand puppets or turn bathing into a real adventure with pirate ships, treasures and secrete bubble maps.

Make getting out of the bath just as fun. Some babies enjoy bath time so much that it’s getting out of the tub that’s really stressful. Make it easier on your baby and yourself by coming up with fun little rituals. For example, once I get Jules out of the tub and wrap her in a towel, we peek in the mirror and I ask: “Who is that pretty little girl?” She loves it! Then I let her turn off the lights in the bathroom and we peek in every mirror on the way to her room.

Did these tricks work for you? Or do you have your own little secretes on how to make baby’s bath time more fun? Please share!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Yay! We got another shipment from one of our favorite brands, Persnickety, yesterday! Words are not enough to describe these charming girl clothes. So, you just have to see for yourself :) The following sets are now available for immediate shipping.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

We a have a fun giveaway going on on our Facebook page. All you need to do is to "like" our page on Facebook and comment on the photo of this cute baby girl dress by Haven Baby. the winner will be chosen from comments posted before 11:59 pm on February 14, 2001. Note, you must "like" our Facebook page to enter. Good luck!

Friday, February 11, 2011

By Tatiana
Tonight I want to talk about love, and relationships, and marriage. First of all, Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so I've been feeling a little lovey-dovey lately. Second, Peter and I went to a couples workshop at our local yoga center tonight, which made me rethink some aspects of our marriage.

When a baby is born, it becomes so much harder to maintain healthy, happy relationship with your life partner. You are both exhausted, stressed, distracted and have way less free time on your hands. Add to that increasing expenses - and you have a recipe for disaster.

We have so many preconceived notions about love and relationships. Some of them come from movies, some from books or pop culture. We expect love to just fall into our laps... and be perfect. So, when something is not working out the way we expect it to, we freak out, we begin to think that may be there's something wrong with our love. May be it's not true love after all.

The truth is, any love, any romantic relationship is a lot of work. And it never stops. The greatest gift we can give our children is the idea of heart-warming, honest and loving relationship. And when it comes to love, the best way to teach is by example.

Yes, you are tired. Yes, baby's needs have to be met. So, your lover often gets pushed to the side. make an effort and put your partner first. Make time for them every day, even if it's just a few minutes. Your kids will grow up to be happier, better people if you teach them what a meaningful relationship between two people who love each other really is.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

By Tatiana
If you are anything like me, you already have (or will soon have) the whole first year worth of cute baby clothes before your baby is even born. Some of them you got at your baby shower, some are hand-me-downs and the rest you bough in anticipation of your baby's arrival. And while shopping for baby clothing and accessories is fun and easy, organizing them might seem like a daunting task. It might be tempting to just put things away until the baby arrives. But once the baby is born, life gets much more hectic and unpredictable. It's frustrating enough when your baby is fussy. It's even more frustrating when you can't find something you need while your baby is crying on your shoulder. So, do your homework now and organize your baby's clothes and accessories. It will make your life - and lives of other caretakers - easier in the future.

Before you start, go through the baby clothes you have and put away things that are too big. Sort them by size, fold them and put them in plastic containers labeling each container so that you can easily find the right size and clothing item later. You can store containers on the top shelf in the closet or in other easily accessible place. Also, prepare a clothing memory box if you are planning to keep baby's homecoming outfit, christening gown, fist holiday outfits and such.

The first thing to think about is whether you'll be keeping your baby's clothes and accessories in a dresser or closet. I will talk about both of them in the paragraphs below.

Organizing your baby's closet. If you didn't have the closet custom-made for your baby, chances are the closet you are working with was designed with an adult in mind. You can create more storage space by lowering hanging bars, adding shelves and installing rolling carts with wire baskets which you can use to hold swaddling blankets, sheets, towels and such. Just keep in mind that the closet will still be used by adults and install shelves and hanging bars at a comfortable hight. You can also make room for a dirty clothes hamper in the closet.

Closet can be used to store pretty much everything not needed for changes. To organize your baby's closet you will need baby hangers, hanging dividers (which you can buy or make out of thick card stock), baskets or other containers. A great way to organize your baby's clothes is by purpose. For example, indoor play clothes will be separated from dressy outfits and from clothes meant to be worn at a playground. In addition, you can group baby and toddler clothes by size (0-3 months, 3-6 months, 2T, 3T and so on). If you decide to hang your baby's clothes, use labeled hanging separators for organization. Otherwise, buy and label baskets or containers to hold your baby's belongings.

Organizing your baby's dresser. Dividers and containers will also help keep things in place in the dresser. You can buy containers or baskets that will fit inside the drawers or make dividers yourself our of thick card stock. Dressers are great for storing thing that you will need for changes (baby gowns, wash clothes, diapers and diaper ointments, etc.) as well as small items like socks and basic baby wear and accessories (pants, coveralls, bibs, blankets, etc.). The best way to organize things in the dresser is by type. So, baby blankets, extra sheets and swaddling blankets will all be in different sections (containers) of the same drawer. You can label the drawers to make it even easier to find things when you need them.

Other storage. There are other places in the nursery that you can use to store baby clothes and accessories. Doors are great for hanging canvas pockets or shoe bags which you can use to store shoes, baby hats and small rattle toys. You can also use small coat hangers to organize things like baby coats, hats and towels. If you are expecting a baby girl, designate a space for keeping her hear clips, bows and other hair accessories. You can hang a pretty ribbon by the dresser or place a small Tupperware containers insider a drawer.

Babys grow very fast, so make sure to go through your baby's clothes once in a while to put away things that have become too small. And remember, though organizing baby clothes and accessories may seem like a challenge, it will help all caretakers to easily find your baby's belongings and keep your munchkin's room neat and cozy.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Here, in the MyLittleJules household, we shop online for just about everything. This includes cute baby clothing, diapers and all formula needs for our little bandit, aka, little Jules. But until now we haven’t given much thought about the reasons why we enjoy the online shopping experience. Sure there are the obvious reasons of not having to get dressed, packing into the car and dedicating the few hours needed to search through your baby’s favorite stores. Now, if you are with your child trying to accomplish the above-mentioned, you may need to call ahead to have your hubby ready a hot bath with a glass (or bottle) of wine. And if your hubby was nice enough to take the kids off your hands for a few hours so you could go shopping; wouldn’t you want to take that time and shop for yourself instead? Sure you would! So here are some reasons why shopping for baby clothes online is such a great idea:

Stay at home - Don’t battle the parking gods or wait in line for something. Simply relax and let your mouse do the walking. There are hundreds of websites that sell clothes and baby accessories. Each one is only a click away. They are never closed nor are they ever rude. And if you have any questions, shoot them an email or call and have all your questions answered right there and then!

Browse the largest and best selections - How many stores would one have to visit in order to look through enough baby blankets, sweaters, outfits, socks, hats, bottoms, sleep sacs and onesies in order to get that perfect catch? And how long would it take? Online, you get access to hundreds of retailers. That’s like visiting a mall dedicated to all of your baby and toddler clothing needs!

Get the best prices - This one is our favorite. So you stayed home and found something you like – great! Most websites offer free shipping so you have an opportunity to save a few bucks there. Often there is a special 1st-time customer discount. There are even sites out there who have returning customer discounts. Then there is that magical promo code field. Most people overlook this feature. However, if you have a few minutes to do a quick search, you could save additional dough. All you need to do is search for the site name and the words “promo code” or “discount coupon” right behind it. Before you know it you are patting yourself on the back and marveling at the huge chunk of change you just saved! Oh, we almost forgot to mention that you don’t have to pay sales tax if purchasing from out-of-state. And if you are wondering, yes, we are always running cool promotions. You can find out about them by following us on Twitter, becoming a fan on Facebook or subscribing to MyLittleJules' email newsletter.

Freedom to change your mind. So, the handsome UPS man arrives at your door and drops off a small box. “Yayyyyy!” you scream only to find that the size of the cutest baby clothes you picked doesn't fit your rug rat. The solution here is simple – contact the company and request to exchange your purchase. They will often times do the exchange for free or at a very nominal fee. There is a word of caution here: you should be familiar with the clothing boutique’s return policy before placing your order. This seems like a lot to worry about at first; but once you find the boutiques that cater to your tastes (and have a favorable return policy), your shopping needs should be met for a long time to come.

ABOUT MY LITTLE JULES

My Little Jules is an online boutique where you'll find designer kids clothing your little trendsetter will love to wear! This blog will keep you up to date with our newest arrivals, exclusive offers and other fun stuff we always have going on.